Lilacs
by hannahbear1110
Summary: Draco walks Hermione back to her dorm after the Yule Ball. Warm fuzzy feelings and who knows what else. DRAMIONE, obviously. Read and Review pretty please.


AN:I haven't written in so long, and this was saved in my Docs, so I'll be polishing it and seeing where it goes. Enjoy!

Hermione sighed into her hands. How had the night turned out to be so horrid? Well, it was all Ron's fault she supposed. They were at the Yule Ball and she had arrived with Viktor Krum. Ron had never gotten up the nerve to ask her, but somehow had the nerve to get angry with her for nothing. He was standoffish to her all night and had finally accused her of fraternizing with the enemy. It was ridiculous, he made it sound as if she had shown up with Voldemort for a date.

She didn't care much anyway; she had fallen out of love with Ron long ago. He would always be one of her best friends, but it was becoming more and more clear that they wouldn't make it together in the future. Ronald would eventually want someone like his own mother, who Hermione adored, but she herself wasn't made to be a housewife. She would rather be the Minister for Magic, and she knew Ron would not cope well with it. Look at how he'd reacted to Harry's name being pulled from the Goblet, Ron was not one for being second fiddle to someone else.

She decided she wouldn't spend the whole night sitting on the steps crying. She would rather head up to her bed, trade her gown for her pajamas, and read a nice book. Hermione wiped the last few tears from her eyes and was just about to stand when a stark white handkerchief appeared in front of her face. She lifted her eyes and found a set of silver ones looking back at her. "M-Malfoy?" she stuttered. She froze in place, hardening her gaze and waited for his insult.

"Look, Granger, just take the handkerchief." Draco responded curtly. As Hermione took it and wiped her eyes, Draco thought back on what had made him follow her out of the ball. He'd been watching her all evening. Merlin, it was hard not to. She looked absolutely stunning and he couldn't tear his eyes away from her. It made him uncomfortable, he wasn't used to the effect she had on him; he usually charmed girls, not the other way around.

She had descended these same stairs earlier, alone for the moment, as Krum was occupied elsewhere. It seemed that every eye in the room had turned to her, as silence fell around them. Even Pansy was silent for a moment, not able to find a single mean thing to say. Hermione was wearing a floor length periwinkle dress. It was off the shoulder, with a v-neck, and a sash that made her waist thin, and gave her an hourglass figure. The bottom cascaded gently around her, brushing the floor as if she were surrounded by blue smoke. Her hair had been pulled up into a bun, mostly tame but still just messy enough to suit her. Soft tendrils fell around her face, highlighting her minimal makeup and natural beauty. Draco's breath had caught in his throat and it surprised him. He had never seen her as anything but a buck-toothed, frizzy-haired know-it-all; and a Mudblood. But in that moment he had forgotten all about that. She was simply the most beautiful girl in the room.

The sound of Hermione's voice brought Draco back to the present. She was attempting to give his handkerchief back to him. "Keep it." He muttered, unsure of why he did. She gave a timid thank you and looked back down at the floor. Draco was about to turn and leave but found himself sitting next to her on the stairs instead. Hermione's jaw dropped in apparent shock at the move; honestly Draco would have done the same if he hadn't been controlling his expression.

She was surprised when Draco instead leaned closer and said, "You're too good for that prat." Hermione only nodded, on guard for the insult that would surely follow, after all this was Malfoy. She braced herself and looked up, searching for any signs that he might be messing with her. His face was unreadable as usual, but his silver eyes looked less icy. Hermione wasn't sure exactly how long they sat there looking at each other, but the moment seemed to stretch on forever.

Draco stood up suddenly, breaking eye contact and running his fingers through his hair. Then he offered his hand to Hermione, pulling her to her feet when she took it. His hand felt warmer than Hermione had expected, and she smiled a bit at the thought. "Look, I wouldn't be a gentleman if I didn't offer to walk you back to your dorm." Draco announced quite formally.

"Malfoy, you really don't need to. I think I can take care of myself."

But Draco insisted, "In case you didn't notice, Granger, you seem to have turned a few heads tonight and I insist on escorting you, not because you can't take care of yourself."

"Well then why?" Hermione asked.

"For myself, Granger, for my own peace of mind. If something bad happened to you and I weren't the one responsible then I would be furious." Hermione figured there was no point arguing; thank Merlin she had the foresight to stash her wand in her gown, just in case Malfoy was up to something sinister. She hooked her non-wand hand into the crook of his offered elbow, needing his help up the stairs.

The first few minutes of the walk were silent. The air around them was tinged with a bit of awkwardness, but Hermione was surprised at how she felt almost comfortable with Malfoy. She didn't know why because this was all so out of character for him. And for her, allowing anyone like Malfoy to escort her through the halls, what a strange night it had turned into. And he had mentioned her turning a few heads earlier, did he mean she looked nice? Did he think so himself? And why did it matter to her?

"What are you thinking about?" Draco inquired. Hermione stopped in her tracks, trying to figure out what to say.

Finally, she answered, "This whole thing is peculiar, Ron's being much more difficult than usual, and you're... well you're not... being difficult at all." Draco seemed to consider this for a moment.

"Yes I agree, it is very peculiar." Draco wasn't sure what more to say, he didn't want to explain himself to her, how could he when he couldn't even explain it to himself?

"Can I ask you a question, Malfoy?" Hermione asked.

"Nothing too personal, Granger, we're not friends just because I'm walking you back." Draco was surprised when Hermione simply nodded, Pansy would have stuck her bottom lip out and pouted. It was a nice change he decided.

Hermione finally asked "What's your favorite color?"

"That's a personal question, Granger." Draco tried to hide the fact that he was caught off guard. What kind of question was that?

But Hermione would not give up, "It's not that personal Malfoy, it's not like I can use it against you or anything. I'm just trying to make conversation. Besides, you insisted on walking me and I don't want to walk in silence." Draco had to admit she was right, but it still felt a little personal to him. No one had ever asked him what his favorite color was.

"Its red, Granger. My favorite color."

"Red? Not green, or silver, or black?" Hermione found herself thrilled that his favorite color wasn't Slytherin colors. Maybe he wasn't as predictable as she had thought.

"Granger?" Malfoy interrupted her thoughts.

"Yes, Malfoy?"

"I asked what your favorite color was."

Hermione didn't hesitate to answer "Lilac."

Malfoy cocked his head to the side and studied her, "Lilac? That's awfully specific, Granger."

Hermione acted offended, "Well I can't very well just say purple can I? Afterall eggplant is a ghastly color, and true purple, the shade worn by royals, is rooted in misogyny. However lilac, is a gorgeous color. The flower itself represents innocence and first loves. And I adore that." Draco was still studying her, his silver eyes looked bottomless, but she couldn't read his face again.

"Figures that the brightest witch of our age would have analyzed all the separate shades of a color to determine her favorite one." The teasing he injected in the comment was surprisingly warm and friendly.

They were nearing the end of their journey, both of them disappointed for the end; both of them confused about why they were so disappointed. Hermione turned to Draco as they reached the portrait. "Thanks Malfoy, for escorting me back. It was surprisingly pleasant."

Draco considered this for a moment. "Yes, Granger, I suppose this was slightly better than having Pansy hanging all over me. Even though you talk too much." Hermione couldn't decide if he was serious or teasing her, she didn't mind the idea of such friendly teasing. It made her sad to have enjoyed the walk so much, would everything go back to normal when classes began again?

They looked at each other for a moment, neither one sure of what to do next. Finally Hermione spoke again "I really did enjoy this Malfoy and if everything goes back to how it was before then I understand. I just wanted you to know that. I know we're not friends but I hope we can at least be civil now." She took a breath, realizing she probably was making it worse, but she had to get it all off her chest.

Draco looked her in the eyes and said, "We'll see Granger, I can't promise you friendship, or anything else. But I do agree that this wasn't as bad as it could have been. Now get yourself to bed." She watched as he walked away, a warm feeling in her stomach. Then Draco turned and said softly "You looked beautiful tonight, Granger." And with that he was gone. Hermione smiled to herself as she headed to bed, warm fuzzies dancing in her stomach.


End file.
